Car troubles: advice please?

[xiphias]

So, the garage just told us that we likely need a new oil pump in our car. They're estimating somewhere around $2,000 in work.

It's a 2000 Toyota Camry with around 110,000 miles on it.

We're trying to figure out whether it's worth repairing, or if it's time to get a new (to us) car.

Usually, this would be a no-brainer -- Camrys are really reliable, usually, and 110,000 isn't a whole lot of miles on a Toyota. And this one has a new transmission because we replaced it last year. And brand-new tires which were just put in last week.

But, see -- new transmission, new tires -- if we do this work, it'll mean we've put $6,000 in the car in the past year. Given that we paid $6000 for the car to start with, that seems . . . well, it's time to ask whether we want to repair it or not.

As my mother pointed out, that's two major things in the four years we've owned it. As reliable as Camrys usually, are, it suggests that there may be something off with THIS one. . .

Any advice from y'all?

Comments

[lietya.livejournal.com]

A 2000 Camry with 110K miles shouldn't be needing that kind of work. I'd say that the suspicion that "something is off with THIS one" is correct. (By contrast, our 1993 Camry with 200K averages about $500/year in maintenance work, all of it stuff you'd expect - new battery, replacement of the original 5-year-expected-lifespan axles at 12 years old, etc. In the entire life of this car, nobody's paid $2000 in repairs at one sitting, unless we count that time it was smushed by an 18-wheeler [that was about 10 years ago, too!].) Do you trust your mechanic to tell you if the car's likely to throw any new problems soon? Because $2000 more to keep it running 10 more years (which wouldn't be unreasonable to ask of a 6-year-old Toyota) is fine; $2000 so it can need $2000 *more* in another year is not. Honestly, I kind of think the latter is more likely....

and you might want to look into the sort of used Toyota you can get for $2000 instead. (Or not. I couldn't really blame you if you were soured on Toyota, though I do think you got incredibly unlucky and this is very atypical.)

[ykats.livejournal.com]

So, you bought a 2 year old Camry for $6K? That sounds way too cheap to me. There must've been something wrong with that car.

[momomom.livejournal.com]

Well, it's also very little of the original car left. We always try to project "does the cost of repair exceed the cost of new car payments?". And do you still have car payments. Ack, selling a car and still owing on it is the worst!

[yardlong.livejournal.com]

I had a 1992 Camry, with only 83,000 miles on it. It needed some repairs, and I'd just put on new tires, but the deciding factor was that the air conditioning didn't work in addition to the other problems. Air conditioning is expensive to fix and fixing it is an opportunity to screw something else up, so we sold the car, got a 2000 Ford Escort, and are happy with it. The gas mileage is better too.

I think you've put enough money into your Camry already, especially considering that it's not that old. Also, it is pretty easy to sell a Camry due to the ingrained notions people tend to have about them. Really, the notions override what they see in front of them.

We don't do car payments either :)

[any-contingency.livejournal.com]

Okay, devil's advocate time. The trans. is really the only unusual major repair, and it went because the drive way wasn't plowed, or salted, or sanded, and you tried to get out anyway. Spin the tires long enough, and the tranny will blow. guaranteed. As I recall, it had to be replaced again afterward for the same reason. One question, how many times have you fallen behind on oil changes, Ian? I love you man, and don't mean to be rude, but I see the problems here as expected given the life this car has led.

[cogitationitis.livejournal.com]

The tires are an expected repair, so I'd discount them. The oil pump depends, in large part, on how well you've done basic maintainence. The transmission is the same. Both would also be put under stress by hauling heavy loads or bad driving (spinning the tires, peeling out, heavy city driving).

Really, the more important question is which you can afford more: a new car, or a new pump? Also, how will you be unloading your damaged car?

[felis-sidus.livejournal.com]

Ditto what most people have said. I wouldn't expect a 2000 Camry which has had regular maintenance and has been driven under normal street conditions to be in quite such bad shape, although it does have a lot of miles on it.

By regular maintenance, I mean that the car's been taken to a qualified mechanic at least twice a year for an overall checkup, routine maintenance, and preparation for the particular season ahead (winterizing/summerizing). (For all you do-it-yourselfers out there: I intend no slur. If you know what you're doing, great. Personally, I'd end up emptying the old oil on my head, and I don't know a bearing from a belt, so I go to a mechanic.) If the car's led a hard life, you should consider whether or not that will change. If it won't change, then the car's likely to keep having serious problems.

Just as a point of comparison, I have a 2000 Chevy Prizm with a Corolla engine. It's only got 40 - 50 thousand miles on it, has a nice warm garage to sleep in, and goes to the mechanic twice a year for routine care. In the 3 years I've had it, it hasn't needed anything other than routine maintenance.

Car Talk

[(Anonymous)]

ummmm you have a 100,000 miles on a FIVE YEAR OLD CAR ???? That's pretty high mileage, and you don't do road trips! Before making a decision to spend that kind of money, all other things being equal, better check out the value of the vehicle that you're thinking about plowing that kind of money into. Look at Kelley Blue Book and some of the other Auto sites to see what a 2,000 high mileage Camry is actually worth. If you're having that kind of trouble already, you either need to look at your driving habits, or find another vehicle. BTW replacing a fuel pump doesn't cost any $2k, even in Boston

[(Anonymous)]

May I suggest a second opinion on all the repairs. Perhaps from a dealer.